HD(CP)2 Module M3: Aerosols, CCN and IN

Simulation of aerosol distributions, cloud condensation and ice nuclei in Northwestern Europe as input to the HD(CP)2 simulations

Contact: Dr. Luke Hande

Project M3 of the HD(CP)2 project

Funding: BMBF

One of the main sources of uncertainty in climate simulations is the role aerosols have in influencing the physical properties of clouds. This project aims to investigate the role natural and anthropogenic aerosols, such as desert dust and carbon, have on cloud properties. Simulated aerosol data from the COSMO-MUSCAT model provides realistic spatially and temporally varying aerosol distributions over Europe. From this, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) number concentrations are calculated, and used as input for the COSMO atmospheric model. The adjacent figure shows calculated IN number concentrations for May 2008, interpolated onto the 240 K temperature level. From these CCN and IN distributions, COSMO will be used to investigate the influence that these realistic aerosol distributions have on the clouds over western Europe, such as precipitation amount and radiative properties.